Chapter 246: The Planning of Luck and the Path Ahead
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: The Planning of Luck and the Path Ahead
"Don't just stand there going 'ah.' I was only giving an example. It’s absurd, naturally, but you truly do possess that kind of rallying power now. Do you understand?"
"But I’m warning you—don't be in a hurry. There is simply too much room for maneuvering here, and you can extract even more benefits from it. You need to plan carefully. Or perhaps you’d prefer to hand over full authority to the Academy to handle it for you?" Ji Niang said to me.
"I..."
Faced with such a choice, I didn't know what to do. To be honest, I didn't particularly like trouble. If getting rid of trouble required going through even more trouble first, I would, in principle, prefer to keep things as they were.
I’d just let that so-called Luck stay on me. Since others always had ways to seize it, let them. At worst, I’d just lie flat and give up—wouldn't that work?
But clearly, the Academy hoped to manage all of this themselves. After all, no matter how I looked at it, I was just a small fry—a freshman who had just stepped into the Transcendent world. A person needs self-awareness above all else.
But rather than racking my brain over these things, I would rather go study dry, boring Runology right now.
"Are you feeling hesitant? It’s alright. You don't have to give me an answer immediately, and the Academy won't force you. You must have faith in the way the Witch Academy operates. As Transcendent Witches, the teachers here dote on good students quite dearly."
Ji Niang’s words instantly eased the tension in my heart.
But before I could respond, a strange sensation took over my sight. The effects of my Spirit Vision were deepening frantically. At that moment, strands of Luck, resembling golden threads, converged from all directions, gathering before me into a ball of blindingly intense light.
However, it was clear that under the gaze of Spirit Vision, Luck emitted more than just light; it radiated high-density, unparsed information and data that I couldn't yet comprehend.
"Has the Luck already begun to converge?" Ji Niang stood up, her gaze piercing through the teaching building toward the sky above the entire Witch Academy. Not just here, but the portion of Luck belonging to the Witch Academy was also beginning to condense.
"It seems the Exchange Competition has officially drawn to a close at this very moment. Perfect timing, isn't it? What a coincidence."
"Yeah..."
I echoed her softly, but my eyes were entirely fixed on the Luck before me. This was no longer just the few wisps of Luck I had on me before; it had condensed into something substantial!
I couldn't ignore its presence. The continuous stream of information it emitted, even with the limited reception of my Spirit Vision, made my brain throb with pain.
"Don't use Spirit Vision to look at things with such dense information. At least not yet—you aren't a Transcendent. Your life level cannot comprehend, let alone withstand, the wash of information at this intensity," Ji Niang said as she stepped forward, covering my eyes with her hand and pulling me back.
"Okay."
I nodded without resistance, though I didn't tell Ji Niang that even with my eyes closed, my Spirit Vision could still "see," just as it had during the Witch Meditation Method.
"Ordinary people cannot see Luck, but for you, it’s different. It might bring you quite a bit of trouble, so you should pay more attention to it," Ji Niang sighed, offering a final word of caution.
"I understand."
I reached out and lightly touched the mass of Luck. According to the principle that Luck belonged to me and that seeing it was equivalent to touching it, the mass of Luck was easily grasped in my hand.
It had no temperature, no physical resistance, and didn't even emit a single ray of light in reality.
What it radiated was unknown information. It was only because this information became entangled with my perception of "intense light" that it appeared this way.
If my perception of Luck’s image were evil, it might have appeared as a mass of dark, disgusting, nauseating filth, perhaps even emitting a pitch-black glow—though "black light" doesn't actually exist in this world.
I stuffed it directly into my body. It was going to follow me anyway; out of sight, out of mind. I’d use my body as its temporary vessel.
"You certainly have guts. You’ll stuff just about anything into your body, won't you? But this isn't bad. Luck is Luck; although we speak of the 'Power of Luck,' it isn't essentially energy, nor is it a type of Transcendent energy. Therefore, it won't interfere much with your Mana Source or your spellbooks. Luck exists as an almost independent system, much like energy itself. Under normal circumstances, they don't interfere with each other. As for the rest, I’m not entirely sure. I’m not a Witch who specializes in the study of Luck, after all."
"Can the Power of Luck be utilized then?" I asked curiously. "For example, as a driver for certain special spells?"
"Luck is not energy, so naturally, it cannot drive spells that require Transcendent energy. However, it can augment spells in another way. But don't get your hopes up—you can't do it."
"Alright..."
Since Teacher Ji Niang said I couldn't do it so bluntly, then I really couldn't. Her words were generally quite rigorous; at least so far, she hadn't lied to me.
It seemed I had simply gained a blinding special effect that only I and the teachers could see.
"Since you haven't made a decision on how to handle the Luck yet, just keep it with you for now. If any problems arise, contact me immediately, or contact Lina or any other teacher at the Witch Academy."
"I know. I won't gamble with my life," I nodded.
"Good. Don't think everything will return to peace just because the Exchange Competition is over. You should understand that a Script is like a novel—dullness is the greatest taboo. Next, the Witch Academy will begin its operations to distribute the Luck, so the commotion won't be small."
"It’s for Tan Han, right? I’ll be obedient and won't interfere," I continued to nod.
"Not interfere? I didn't say that. You are already entwined with Luck and have entered the Script, so we won't force you into anything. Besides, when did I ever say that Tan Han was the only Child of Destiny in the Witch Academy?"
"What? The Witch Academy has other Children of Destiny besides Tan Han? Wasn't she the only one?" I asked in shock.
"Originally, there was indeed only Tan Han. The reason we placed such importance on her, nurtured her, and gave her resources was naturally because she was the only one. But now, she isn't. However, she still has the greatest chance. It’s just that we cannot stifle the opportunities of others for her sake. The most taboo thing when investing in a Child of Destiny is putting all your eggs in one basket."
"I know that..." I nodded. These tropes were common in novels. Protagonists always grow through adversity, while the higher-ups only value the most promising one—unaware that the higher a stepping stone is placed, the more satisfying it is for the true protagonist to trample it.
It seemed many of the teachers at the Witch Academy were quite experienced in this. As Transcendent Witches with long lives, perhaps they also liked to pass the time reading novels, just like I did in my past life.
"But... where did the Academy get other Children of Destiny? New discoveries?"
"Our Witch Academy did indeed only have Tan Han. But didn't the other academies deliver so many to us during this Exchange Competition? Aren't they all here for us to pick from?"
"Huh?" My eyes widened as I looked at Teacher Ji Niang, a realization dawning on me that I could hardly believe.
"Isn't poaching talent our Academy's bread and butter? Who says someone who entered another academy can't become a Witch? I think they’d fit right in. Xiao Han, in the Void beyond this world, there are countless races and countless categories of Witches. Don't be so narrow-minded."
"Uh... okay..." Hearing Ji Niang’s statement, I felt a sudden surge of ignorance. Witches were indeed even more terrifying than I had imagined... This was racial assimilation!
Back then, when Tan Han entered the Witch Academy and the deed was done, the Holy Angel Academy just went straight home. It looked like she wouldn't be becoming a Holy Angel anymore. But I never expected that other races could become Witches too!
But then I thought... Elf Witches... Beast-ear Witches... Vampire Witches... It actually seemed... pretty good?
"Wait, won't the other academies fight the Witch Academy to the death?"
"The prerequisite for fighting to the death is being able to win. Don't underestimate our Witch Academy. What, their students went missing at our Academy, and they dare to come onto our turf to look for them?" Ji Niang’s tone was filled with pure disdain.
I could only swallow hard on the side. Honestly, wasn't the Witch Academy being a bit too aggressive? Poaching other people's Children of Destiny... even if they weren't Children of Destiny, those who came this time were the elites of their respective academies.
Wouldn't those academies go insane?
Or perhaps they had already anticipated that the Witch Academy would pull a stunt like this, so the ones they sent were all "fake" elites, while the real ones were well-protected back home?
Recalling the guys I faced in the competition... it didn't seem impossible.
"I’m just joking, Xiao Han. Don't take it seriously, and don't go spreading it around. Our Witch Academy wouldn't do such a thing." Teacher Ji Niang made a "shush" gesture and smiled at me, emphasizing her point again.
"O-okay, I understand. I won't say a word."
"Alright, the serious talk is over. Let’s chat about something else." Ji Niang deactivated the spell effect.
"Your performance in the Exchange Competition was very good. However, I hope you don't show too much arrogance. Arrogance will cloud your judgment. You must recognize your own position; you are still just a freshman who has recently entered the Academy."
"Yes, I understand."
"I don't care if you truly understand or not, just don't let it show. I saw you rushing out of the competition looking like you were about to do something. What, are you already impatient to start further research on spellbooks?"
"Uh... actually..."
"Don't let your reach exceed your grasp. I think you can set aside the spellbook research for a while. You should have felt it by now, right? The higher the level of the spellbook, the harder it is to modify it through simple trial and error or brute-force enumeration. When facing an Over-consumption Spellbook, you might not even know where to start."
"That was one of the reasons I told you to stop studying Over-consumption Spellbooks before. But I didn't expect you to go and create a Derived Spell for me."
"Um... actually, Teacher," I interrupted Ji Niang again.
"What is it? If you really want to bash your head against spellbooks, I’ll let you. You have plenty of time to squander, after all."
"Actually, I wanted to say that I also want to set aside spellbook research for a while. At most, I’ll just look into the theoretical side of rune-related rituals."
"Oh? You’ve realized it? Why?"
Ji Niang raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had thought I would keep obsessing over spellbooks. She understood that children at this stage were driven to explore the unknown and would even guide them to do so, but essentially, it was unnecessary.
"Uh... because of Tan Han. She taught me some very important things... and one more thing, Teacher, I wanted to ask."
"Ask away."
"The Transcendent world... is it always inseparable from conflict and slaughter?" I looked at Ji Niang and asked sincerely.
This question was truly important. Because the society and environment I had lived in, including my perception of the Witch Academy, placed me in a relatively peaceful and safe world. Combat and slaughter, in my mind, only existed in the Arena or other specific settings.
This involved my worldview and the allocation of my development priorities.
If it were peaceful, then I wouldn't need to care about so-called strength. Techniques wouldn't matter much to me because I wasn't the type to constantly fight others.
Given a peaceful environment and time, I would advance bit by bit, widening the gap between myself and those around me.
But if the environment I was in now was special, non-representative, or even temporary, then the weight of combat power, strength, and the skills to fully utilize my power—the art of battle—would be significantly increased.
That would be the guarantee for my pursuit of the Transcendent and the Truth.
Strength would no longer be a byproduct of Transcendent research, but a necessary means of survival.
"That’s a tricky question... You might need to witness and understand it for yourself. Power is equally important, but it cannot be the only important thing. Life cannot become a slave to power."
"I see..." I nodded, but I already had my answer.
"As an aside, if you plan to prepare yourself now, I don't mind telling you: the Void is a place where strength is respected above all. In any place, only those with the hardest fists have the right to speak. But Witches cannot and will not become such beings. Because we are Witches, not slaves to power."
"Thank you. This is truly important to me." This time, I thanked Teacher Ji Niang very solemnly.
She wouldn't lie to me about this, and through her words, I found the balance for what I wanted to pursue.
"It’s nothing," Ji Niang said with a smile. "Let me tell you about some concepts—some of our Witches' philosophies. They might help you."
"Really?"
"Of course. I think the question you just asked is a classic one. It’s a very common trade-off, the ultimate dilemma between pursuing Truth or Power."
"In the Void, countless lives on both paths try to prove the other wrong, but they all end up losing themselves on their own roads. In truth, difficult questions often have simple answers, because nothing is absolute."
"Do they become more extreme because they are so firm in their path? Perhaps some are, but most use persistence and faith to combat their own cognitive dissonance. Denying oneself leads to confusion, which makes those with great power or terrifying skills dangerous. Thus, most people are happy to see this polarization encouraged."
"But most of us Witches don't agonize over this. We have the foundation for it. We Witches only walk two paths: Principles and Techniques. Researching and discovering Principles leads directly to Eternal Truth; practicing and honing Techniques leads to the realization of Great Power."
"Does it sound like they’re the same thing, just with different names? In essence, they are different. If you don't understand, it’s because you haven't reached that level yet. It’s like how upperclassmen often question why the Witch Academy uses spellbooks to limit the flexibility and application of spells."
"No one in this world is a fool. If something exists, there is a reason for it. Xiao Han, before this, did you think you were studying theory to obtain Truth, or practicing techniques to obtain Power?"
"I... I wanted to study theory to obtain Truth..."
"But your actions were those of practicing techniques to obtain Power. Modifying spellbooks is also a form of technical exploration. You need theoretical support, but you don't have that foundation yet."
"You are deeply contradictory. You don't know what you are doing. That is your problem. Everything must be done step by step, accumulating bit by bit. Before, I just let you be, but now it’s time for you to settle down."
"Then... what should I do?" My eyes were filled with confusion. Ji Niang’s words had completely shattered my shallow understanding, and I suddenly didn't know what my next move should be.
"Didn't you say it yourself? You’re going to look at books on Runology. And didn't you learn something from Tan Han? Don't be lost. Studying Runology is laying a solid foundation for your pursuit of Truth. And what you learned from Tan Han is likely related to Techniques. These aren't in conflict. You just lack a plan to arrange them reasonably."
"Thank you..."
"No need for thanks. This is what a teacher should do," Ji Niang said with a smile.